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Oysters à la Carême

Warm oyster stew à la Carême: a stock made from oyster liquor and oyster beards, a sauce thickened with butter and flour, seasoned with mushroom, lemon and Madeira; oysters and shrimp are added at the very end without cooking. Served with croutons and parsley.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 138 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

A fine, warm oyster stew named after the French master chef Antonin Carême. Erken emphasizes that the oysters must not cook – they are added to the sauce at the last moment so they stay tender.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Open the oysters

    Open the oysters and reserve the oyster liquor. Separate out the beards.

  2. 2

    Cook the stock

    Cook the oyster beards together with the oyster liquor and 2 dl meat stock for 10 minutes. Strain the stock.

  3. 3

    Make the sauce

    Brown the butter lightly, stir in the flour and thin with the strained oyster stock and the bouillon. Let the sauce simmer for half an hour.

  4. 4

    Season

    Stir in the mushrooms, lemon juice, Madeira and salt to taste.

  5. 5

    Add oysters and shrimp

    Add the oysters and shrimp to the hot sauce at the very end – they must not cook.

  6. 6

    Plating

    Arrange the stew at once on a slightly deep platter with croutons and parsley leaves around it.

Changes from the original

The ingredient list has been reconstructed from the narrow column (the shrimp quantity in the OCR was unclear and has been set to 1/2 kg). Quantities have been converted to modern units (dl, g), "1 del." = 1 dl. The method has been divided into numbered steps.

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Tidsmaskin – hva endret seg?

Velg to utgaver og se hva Henriette Schønberg Erken la til, fjernet eller endret mellom dem.

1914 (korrekturlest, s. 138)1949 (korrekturlest, s. 166)~57% av teksten endretfjernetlagt til
40 østers 1 stor boks champignons 1/2 1 kg. ræker reker 80 gr. smør 30 gr. hvetemel 1/2 ½ l. buljong 1 citron sitron 1 del. madeira salt. Østerserne aapnes, Østersene åpnes, skjegget koker med østersvandet østersvannet og 2 del. kjøtkraft kjøttkraft i 10 minutter. Smørret minutten. Smøret brunes let, lett, irøres melet, spædes spedes med det silede østersvandavkok silte østersvannavkok og buljongen, smaakoker 1/2 småkoker ¾ time; champignons, citronsaft, sitronsaft, vin og salt efter smak røres i. Østerserne og rækerne lægges i sausen Østersene og anrettes rekene legges i samme øieblik, den skal ikke koke. Stuingen anrettes paa et litt dypt fat med croutons og persilleblade omkring.

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Frequently asked questions

Why should the oysters and shrimp not cook in the sauce?
Because they become tough and dry. The sauce is simmered to completion first, and the oysters and shrimp are added at the very end – the dish is plated at that same moment.
What are the oyster beards and oyster liquor used for?
The beards are cooked together with the oyster liquor and 2 dl meat stock for 10 minutes. The cooking liquid is strained and used to thin the roux, together with 1/2 liter of bouillon. The sauce then simmers for half an hour.
How is the dish served?
The stew is arranged on a slightly deep platter with croutons and parsley leaves around the edge. The recipe serves 6 and uses 40 oysters, 1/2 kg shrimp, a large can of mushrooms, lemon juice and 1 dl Madeira.
Where does the recipe come from?
From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), page 138.

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